Is this a water lift or a water jacket?

[rickrose]

I've read within the forum that an old type of muffler called, I think, a "water jacket" type is unsafe and should be replaced with a "water lift" type.

What type do I have here? Can you tell from the photos? It's arranged on my driveway pretty much the way it sits in the boat.

Thanks!

Rick Rose

[Don Moyer]

Rick,

From the one photo I'm able to see, you seem to have a standard water lift muffler (in a tall narrow shape) with a standard hot section between it and the back of the manifold. The only unusual design feature is that the muffler is so high with respect to the engine. If the inside chamber of the muffler were ever to rust through, water would no doubt flow down and into the manifold and into the engine. This looks like a factory installation, so I presume the shape of the muffler and hot section are dictated by space restrictions in your particular boat.

You could have a local machine shop cut the top off the outer tube and inspect the inside of the muffler if you're worried about it. It appears that you'll have to take the muffler in to have the pipe extending from the bottom of the muffler removed from the first elbow in any case (unless by some miracle you're able to unthread that fitting.

The rest of the hot section appears to be standard 1 1/4" pipe and fittings which are available at any local hardware store or plumbing shop.

Don

[rickrose]

Don,

Thanks for the verdict. I did manage to get that elbow off after judicious application of a sawzall and cold chisel, but then wound up taking it to a neighbor who is going to weld a new piece of pipe to the bottom.

I have space for another type of muffler, but I don't want to re-engineer the fittings right now. This one screws right into a bulkhead after a run of standard fittings, so I'm planning to put it back in service for the time being. I've been reading all I can find on installations of new systems so I will know what to do when the time comes. Every installation I see looks different from mine.

v/r,

Rick

[HGSail]

Rick

I have the same system on my Ericson 29. I think I had the original when I bought the boat and just replaced it last winter when I rebuilt the engine. Mine had rusted thru and I took some water into exhuast, Which had done some damage the the valve and seats of the #3 & 4 cyl.. I don't have much room to change the system so I ordered the same from Pacific seacraft for $380 something total. The one thing that I did change was to put a valve in line w/ the raw intake so I can run freash water into the system after I'm thru for the day.

Pat
E29
Holy Guacamole
Davis Modlin Atomic4